


Corpse Party: Pyjama Party

by Sephirotha



Category: Corpse Party (Video Game)
Genre: Abduction, Blood and Gore, F/M, Ghosts, Horror, M/M, Romance, Teenagers, Trapped, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-30
Updated: 2015-01-16
Packaged: 2018-02-19 09:31:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2383388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sephirotha/pseuds/Sephirotha
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When ten teens do the Sachiko Ever After Charm wrong at a slumber party, it leaves them stranded in Heavenly Host Elementary School with nothing but their pjs and paper scraps. With raging hormones and unresolved tension amongst the friends, will anyone be able to see the light of the sun ever again?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

“And now, twenty years later, his spirit still lives, haunting the third desk on the front row whispering: ‘Miss, I don’t understand question six. Miss, I don’t understand question six.’”

The lightning flashed outside and the reader flinched slightly as the bedroom darkened.

“Anne, go on.”

“No, don’t go on!”

Anne took in a deep breath.

“The desk was considered to be haunted so the teachers condemned it and removed it from the classroom to burn it to ashes…”

The clap of thunder came loud enough to make the glass vibrate in the window. Three screams rung out in the dark bedroom and the ten teens turned to the door at the young man who had just flipped the light switch on.

“Really?” he raised an indigo eyebrow at them sceptically “Ghost stories at this time of night?  Are you really teenagers or just little kids?”

“I like ghost stories, they’re very imaginative,” a younger girl with long indigo hair huffed “What are you doing here, Nii-san?  This is very unexpected.”

“Your phone was turned off so I let myself in with the spare key,” the man showed a silver key with a smirk.

“Hm, I should have the locks changed then,” the girl reclined on her mattress with a loud yawn.

Anne closed her red leather notebook with a sigh.

“I’m tired of reading,” she murmured with a yawn “Can we go to bed now?”

“But you have to finish,” the girl with indigo hair insisted.

“Yumi, I really don’t want to hear the rest of it,” the blonde near her said “Anne hasn’t had gore in the story yet and I don’t want to hear it!”

“Yeah, we don’t want nightmares,” the girl with light brown hair in between them drawled.

“You’re just scared that the kid will sneak into Maki-san’s apartment and get us all,” the albino boy of the group murmured.

“Come on, Anne’s tired,” the boy with black hair and brown eyes wrapped his arm around Anne’s shoulders “We shouldn’t push her.”

“I’ll read the rest of it,” the boy with black hair and red eyes offered as he held a hand out for Anne’s notebook.

“Oh no, not Akiyama-san’s voice!” the girl with orange hair shrieked “His voice is so monotone, so creepy and just…ah!”

“Then how about I read it?” the boy with long silver hair offered.

“No, your voice isn’t scary enough,” the boy with short, gelled, red hair shook his head and rolled his tongue piercing up and down.

“What about you make up your endings and all go to sleep?” the man by the door interrupted.

“You are no fun, Nii-san,” Yumi sighed and waved him off “Leave.”

“Goodnight, Yumi,” the man smiled before closing the door.

Yumi rolled her eyes and pulled out a little paper doll.

“Right, before we go to sleep, there’s something I want to try,” she said as the others stared at it curiously “It’s called the Sachiko Ever After Charm.”

“Right and what does it do, exactly?” the light brown haired girl asked sceptically.

“If we do it right, Sachiko will give us our blessing and we will be bound as true friends,” Yumi said “Everyone, get a hold of the paper doll.”

Everyone leaned out in a circle and took a hold of the little paper doll.  Anne smiled up at the boy who gave her a tight hug.  Yumi made eye contact with the albino boy and smiled at him.

“Everyone then needs to chant in their head ‘Sachiko, we beg of you,’ for each person involved and yourself.  So that means ten times for us.  And to have the charm work, it has to be exactly ten times.”

“Got that, Nii-san?” the girl with orange hair grinned “Ten times.”

“Oh shut up, Riku,” the boy with red hair rolled his eyes.

“Ready?” Yumi asked and her nine friends nodded “Go.”

A hush of silence fell over the group as some closed their eyes to chant whilst others stared at the paper doll amongst them.

“Right,” Yumi broke the silence after about a minute “Now everyone pull on the doll and make sure you have a scrap with you at the end.  You then need to keep this scrap of paper with you at all times to make sure that we’re truly bound as friends.”

“Right!” her friends nodded “Three, two, one!”

They pulled and the doll came apart between them in ten pieces.  The lightning flashed violently, startling some of the teens briefly before laughing it off.  Anne smiled and tucked the scrap into her pyjama breast pocket.

“That’s cute,” she commented and patted her pocket as everyone else put their scraps somewhere safe.

“Not as cute as you,” the brown eyed boy next to her grinned and flicked her nose.

“Ah, Zack!” she exclaimed with flushed cheeks.

Zack laughed and tousled her hair.

“My cute little girlfriend,” he said with a cheeky grin.

“Hey, don’t call me little, that’s mean!” Anne whined as a couple of others laughed.

The boy with red eyes beside them just gave Zack a passive look before tucking his scrap of paper in his pyjama trouser pocket.  Thunder clapped loudly which caused a couple of screams from Riku, the blonde haired girl and the girl with light brown hair.

“Sheesh, Sakura, you scream pretty loud,” the boy with silver hair winced.

“Shut up!” the girl with light brown hair snarled.

There was a sudden movement of the building and Zack fell off the bed in surprise.

“What was that?!” he exclaimed.

“Earthquake…?” the boy with red eyes murmured uncertainly.

Then a rougher quake came and Anne screamed with the other four girls.

“It’s pretty serious!” the albino exclaimed as debris began falling from the ceiling.

“Ruka, duck!” the boy with silver hair exclaimed and dragged the boy away from getting hit by some of the books from the bookshelf.

Riku and Sakura clung onto each other underneath one of the beds whilst the boy with red eyes brought a blanket over Anne and held her in a protective manner.

“Riku!” the boy with red hair called out.

“Daichi, watch out!” Zack shoved his friend out of the way to avoid getting hit by the light bulb.

“Yumi!” Ruka called as the floor began to give way.

“Ruka!” Yumi cried as she fell through.

“Yumi-chan!” Anne shrieked in horror.

“Anna-chan!”

Anne turned as the blonde fell soon after.

“No, Grace-chan!” she lurched but the boy held her closer.

“Don’t move!” he instructed.

“Anne, are you alright?!” Zack called over the noise.

“Grace-chan!  Yumi-chan!”

Two more screams followed as Sakura fell through and Riku grabbed her hand.

“Riku!” Daichi cried out.

“Nii-san!” Riku screamed as she fell through with Sakura.

The floor then gave way to Ruka and the boy with silver hair.

“Nakahura-kun!  Oshiro-kun!”

“Anne!”

Anne reached out for Zack’s hand and her eyes widened in horror as he fell through with Daichi.

“Zack!  Fujimoto-kun!”

Her eyes brimmed with tears.

“Everyone…” she whispered and her stomach lurched when the bed tilted.

“Anna-san, stay calm,” the boy holding her instructed as the quake grew rougher “The bed should cushion our fall.”

“But…”

Anne screamed and hugged the boy tighter as her stomach lurched again when the bed fell through the apartment floor and they spiralled down into the darkness below.


	2. Character Introductions

**Anne Murakami**

A sixteen year old student in Dakudou High School, Class 2B. Shy but very friendly. Known as the quiet girl in the corner with a book. Despite her reserved nature, Anne is good at making friends and bringing peace between others. It came out as a surprise when Anne started to go out with loudmouth and boisterous Zack. Anne lost her mother to cancer over three months ago and lives with her father who is still trying to get over her death. She often pours her feelings out into her writing to deal with the pain.

**Vincent Akiyama**

An eighteen year old student in Dakudou High School, Class 3A. Vincent can come across as cold unless it's with Anne whom he's known since junior high. Ever since the passing of his younger sister, Vincent has been colder and more hostile towards others. He has recently gotten a place of his own to avoid having to face his mourning parents every day. Working part-time in a coffee shop, Vincent is still questioning what he wishes to do in the future. He enjoys playing the piano yet refuses to become a pianist like his mother.

**Daichi Fujimoto**

A seventeen year old student in Dakudou High School, Class 2C. Daichi may act like a delinquent and be really tough but he really is just a big softie. His parents got divorced a few months back, pushing him to live separate from his younger sister, Riku, because of their schools being in different areas. Daichi lives with his mother who is still single and rarely goes out. He tries to encourage her to go out and meet someone new but is always met with a comeback to get a girlfriend.

**Zack Kimura**

A seventeen year old student in Dakudou High School, Class 2C. He lives close to Daichi since Daichi's parents divorced and often shares walks with him to the park for a kick about. Loud, noisy and disruptive, Zack tends to fall behind his academic work in order to focus on his football skills. His mother has just been diagnosed with leukaemia and his father is currently taking time off to look after her. Zack tends to avoid going home, not wanting to get in the way. He often stays at Daichi's place for the night unless he decides to spend the evening with Anne.

**Riku Fujimoto**

Daichi's younger sister, fifteen years old. Riku has always been athletic and frequently goes on runs every morning. She is very popular at her school for her bubbly nature and her dedication to sports. Riku lives with her father and his new girlfriend whom she doesn't get along with. They always argue when he's not around, causing tension and stress around the house. Riku wants nothing more than to hurry and finish junior high then move in with Daichi to go to Dakudou High School.

**Grace Inoue**

A sixteen year old student in Dakudou High School, Class 2B. Outgoing and optimistic, there isn't a day when Grace seems to shine brighter than the sun. She and Anne have been friends since elementary and enjoys reading Anne's stories, though maybe not the dark ones. An orphan, Grace lives with her bachelor uncle and is practically his maid around the apartment. Very mature for her age, she never lets anyone put her down, or else they'd get an earful.

**Sakura Hamasaki**

A sixteen year old student in Dakudou High School, Class 2C. Sakura may be considered the class snob but is still well-received by her classmates with her dry sense of humour. She cannot leave the house without her make-up bag and is famous for her makeovers. A hater of anything dirty, Sakura is often known as the 'pristine queen'. She has an incredible social life as well as a long list of 'friends', however considers the group to be her closest and true friends. Proud and maybe a little bit of a rebel, Sakura is currently being raised by a strict father and a passive mother.

**Yumi Maki**

A fifteen year old student in Dakudou High School, Class 1A. She is often labelled as creepy, scary and ghost like due to her interest in the supernatural but no such labels bother her. Yumi is from a rich family and home tutoring has allowed her to skip a year in education. Her parents strongly insist on going into a career of either medicine or business but she stubbornly works towards her dream of becoming a journalist. She lives in her own place which is funded by her parents.

**Ruka Nakahura**

A sixteen year old student in Dakudou High School, Class 1A. Ruka was transferred into Dakudou High School recently at roughly the same time as Yumi. A daydreamer and aspiring florist, he often spends his time outside, tending to plants in the classrooms and outside in the playground. Ruka is often singled out because of his looks and his dyslexia. He lives with his older sister who works hard and is overprotective since they ran away from their abusive father. He still carries marks on his back from his father's torture.

**Seito Oshiro**

An eighteen year old student in Dakudou High School, Class 3A. Seito is known to be attractive to the majority of the female population of the school. However, he is a homosexual still in the closet because of his parents' homophobia. Seito has learnt to despise women from his mother's affair with another man to watching girls faun over a handful of different boys. However, despite this hateful side to him, Seito has a surprisingly sympathetic nature. He aspires to follow a career in medicine.


	3. Chapter 1

“Oof…ow!”

Zack winced as he felt a jolt of pain.

“Ow, my arm, what happened?” he groaned “It doesn’t seem broken but, ah, fuck, it hurts!”

He opened his eyes slowly and saw his arm at a lopsided and painful looking angle.  He winced and slowly sat up, staring at the arm with uncertainty of what to do.  He then looked around, finding himself in a small classroom.

“Where is this then?” he muttered “This certainly doesn’t look like Maki-san's apartment…  Surely…”

He slowly stood up and looked around some more.

“Is this some sort of school or something?” he murmured “Ugh, school, the last place I want to be…”

He shuddered and shook his head.

“But still, these desks are a bit small,” he frowned as the light flickered on, giving more light “Ah!”

He stepped away after finding he nearly fell through a hole.

“This place is a wreck!” he exclaimed.

A hue of red caught his attention and he turned, eyes wide to see Daichi lying nearby.

“Daichi?” he murmured and wandered over, poking him with his foot “Oi, Daichi!  Wake up!”

He winced as another twinge of pain went up his arm.

“I know, I know, you’re hurt but I don’t know first aid!” he hissed at it “Sheesh, I haven’t had an injury like this since I was like seven…”

He then glanced down at Daichi and began nudging him with his foot again.

“Daichi!  Oi, Daichi, wake up!  You’re not dead are you?  Oi, you’re scaring me, wake up you lazy mother-fucker!”

“Mmm…” Daichi stirred after Zack’s constant nudging “That’s harsh, dude, my parents got divorced like five months ago, no need to imply I tend to her sexual needs now.”

Zack let out a huge sigh of relief.

“Damn it, you had me scared there!” he exclaimed as Daichi sat up.

“Ow, my head,” Daichi winced as he rubbed his head sorely “Where are we, anyway?”

He sat up as he saw the classroom and looked around.

“What the fuck, man?!”

“I know right?” Zack sighed.

Daichi walked over to the windows and tried pushing them open.  Zack saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere so walked over and used his uninjured arm to help.

“Hey, your arm…” Daichi stared at his limp arm in horror.

“Yeah, know any first aid tips?”

“Not without a sling and I don’t think I’d be able to make a decent one with just my top,” Daichi grimaced.

The boys continued straining until Zack stumbled after slipping his grip.  Daichi sighed and rested his head against the glass.

“Damn it, it’s not moving!” he grumbled “It’s like they’re there for some sort of decoration or something…”

“It seems pretty dark out there too…” Zack mumbled “Not like we’d get very far if we did get out.”

Daichi sighed and slid down to a sitting position.

“What the hell happened?” he asked.

Zack looked around from the doors to the blackboard.

“Yeah, I don’t like school but something about this place just gives me the fucking creeps.  Especially since it looks like a school for little brats.”

Daichi glanced up at the classroom with a soft hum.

“Kind of reminds me of the pictures that mum has in her album,” he chuckled “Without all the decay of course.”

“She has pictures of herself at elementary school?” Zack raised an eyebrow as he sat on one of the desks.

“Yes, but she only went there for about a year and had to go to a different school since it closed down shortly afterwards and then a high school was built on top of it.”

“What school was it?”

“Heavenly Host Elementary School.”

Both boys felt a chilling aura pass them but Daichi shrugged it off quickly.

“Kisaragi Academy stands there now.”

“Huh, why did it close down?”

Daichi shrugged.

“Never asked more about it, like I said my mom only went there for a year.”

Zack smiled and winced as his arm hurt again.

“Hey, let’s look around and see if we can get anywhere,” Daichi suggested as he got up.

“Yeah,” Zack nodded as they made their way outside the classroom.

They’d only been walking down a few metres when something on one of the walls caught Zack’s attention.

“Zack?”

“Oi, Daichi, you said that Heavenly Host Elementary School was shut down and they built another school on top?”

“Yeah…”

Daichi followed Zack’s gaze and felt a chill run down his spine.

 

_Heavenly Host Elementary – Notice to all Faculty and Students_

_Classroom Code of Conduct_

_Should this code be violated, it will be met with discipline_

The rest of the paper wasn’t legible enough to read.

“Ah…ah…maybe they relocated the school?” Daichi muttered.

“But then why is it in such ruin?” Zack asked as he looked up to see holes spotting around on the ceiling “I don’t know, I don’t like this.  Let’s get out of here.”

“Hey, do you think everyone else is here at this school?” Daichi suddenly said.

“What…you mean…?”

They stared at one another silently for a few minutes.

“Like Anne?  And Hamasaki-san?”

“Riku!” Daichi exclaimed, ever the protective brother.

“Grace-chan, Maki-san…”

“Nakahura, Oshiro…oh, and Akiyama!”

“If Anne’s here then I’m not leaving without her!” Zack declared.

“We should go and look for them then,” Daichi nodded “Come on.”

They continued through the dark corridors together, both feeling slightly cold with nothing but their pyjamas keeping them covered.

“Ah, we can’t go any further than this,” Daichi observed when they reached a gap in the floor.

“Maybe we can go through the classroom to get on the other side?” Zack saw the open door nearby.

“Sure, but it feels a bit off…” Daichi stepped away uncertainly.

“We won’t be in there for long,” Zack reassured him “Just passing through.”

Daichi swallowed uncertainly.

“OK…” he said as he followed Zack in.

They wandered around the scattered desks and holes until Daichi suddenly grabbed Zack’s shoulder.

“Ow, careful…”

“Zack, do you see that?”

Zack looked up and sucked in a breath.

“Holy fuck, is that really…?” he whispered.

There lay a decaying body sprawled out.  Zack suddenly felt sick.

“It…can’t be real…” Daichi chuckled uncertainly as he edged forward, took a splintered chair leg and nudged it “Ugh, it squelched, it’s real…”

“Why is there a dead body here?” Zack asked slowly as he came to Daichi’s side.

“I don’t know and I’m not sure I want to know,” Daichi said as he stepped away slowly.

“You…two…”

The boys jumped as a blue spirit appeared above the body and Zack stepped back warily.

“What the fuck?” he rasped.

“You’re new victims, aren’t you?”

“V-Victims?” Daichi stuttered.

“What the fuck is that thing?!” Zack exclaimed.

Daichi looked down at the body then back up at the blue spirit.

“You’re a ghost?” he whispered and Zack swallowed harshly.

“How the fuck can you stay calm?!” he hissed.

“Call it shock…” Daichi murmured as he stared at the blue orb.

“I was brought here and trapped just like you,” it spoke and Zack grabbed Daichi, pulling him away.

“Trapped?” Daichi pulled forward a bit so the boys stood still “Like…no way out?  Like legitimately trapped?  Like trapped for all eternity?”

“What other definition of trapped do you need?” Zack hissed angrily.

“This school exists in a reality much different to yours,” the spirit continued speaking.

“Why us?” Daichi asked “Why did we have to be brought here?”

“They brought you, they always bring in new victims, more and more as the hours go by.  This is a cursed school with many existences on top of each other, governed and fuelled by powerful spirits.  We are all victims of an abduction that has no escape.”

“No way…” Zack uttered in disbelief.

“You weren’t the only ones brought here it seems.  I can sense many others…”

“So the others are still here!” Daichi exclaimed “Riku!  And everyone else…they’re here too!”

“We have to find them then!” Zack pulled Daichi again.

“Don’t, it’s pointless,” the spirit spoke “They are in this school but in different spaces in which you occupy.  If you wish to find your friends, you will have to find a way to get into their space or bring them into your space.  Even if you do find a way, you’ll still be trapped but at least you’ll be altogether.”

“There truly is no way out then…” Daichi whimpered nervously.

“There has to be!” Zack said as he shook Daichi “There’s always a way!”

Daichi looked uncertain for a moment and swallowed hardly.

“These spirits…” he murmured.

“I’m sorry but I do not know nor understand the spirits’ motives in trapping us here,” the spirit said “All I can give you is advice.  Stay together and die together.  That is a fate worth fighting for than being trapped here by yourself…alone…do not end up like me…”

The boys turned briefly to see the doors open.  Daichi looked back to look at the ghost and let out a scream of terror.

“What’s wrong, Dai-wah!!”

Zack jumped when he saw Daichi face-to-face with a smaller girl in a red dress.

“Daichi, don’t just stand there!” he tugged on Daichi’s arm “Come on!  Oi, Daichi, snap out of it!”

The girl giggled at Daichi’s horrified look.

“Do you want to play?” she asked in a singsong voice and brought up some scissors.

“Daichi, move the fuck away from her!” Zack yelled as he tugged again and this time Daichi ran with him.

The boys bolted out of the door and down the corridor some more before collapsing around the corner.

“It doesn’t look like she’s following,” Zack heaved as he glanced down the corridor.

“Ow…”

Zack saw Daichi bring his foot up and finger it.

“Splinters, damn it, why did we have to be brought here in our pyjamas?” he muttered as he began pulling them out.

Zack breathed out slowly and slumped.

“Fuck, ghosts, they’re fucking real ghosts,” he muttered and shook his head “This has to be some sort of nightmare.  Ha, next time Maki-chan gets Anne to write and read another fucking ghost story, count me out.”

“Then wake up, Zack, if this really is all just a bloody dream then wake up!”

Zack sighed as he brought his knees to his chest.  Daichi sucked on his tongue piercing thoughtfully before glancing at him.

“We’ll find a way out,” he said “Having a negative attitude won’t help us.”

Zack glanced back at him and nodded.

“Right, Anne and Riku are around here, probably terrified and wanting their boyfriend and brother to come,” he grinned nervously.

“Right!” Daichi got up and winced “Ow, stupid splinters.”

Zack felt his arm twinge in pain as he got up and they continued exploring the area.  They continued to find bodies and body parts scattered around the area.

“Urgh, gross,” Zack scrunched his nose as they came by a naked body that had the head chopped off and mauled until it was uncertain to what gender they had been.

“The stench is so horrid,” Daichi covered his mouth and nose “My eyes are just watering.”

“Let’s go,” Zack decided.

“Yes, let’s,” Daichi agreed hastily.

“Oh, look!” Zack pointed to the sign that said ‘Infirmary’ over the door.

“Great, maybe I can find a sling for your arm!”

The boys slid the door open to see two people already inside.  Daichi’s eyes widened with recognition.

“Inoue-san!”

Grace looked up with wide eyes.

“Fujimoto-kun!  Kimura-kun!”

“Oh?  Do you know these people, Inoue-san?” the older looking boy asked as Grace stood with a big smile.

“Yep!  Kimura-kun is Anna-chan’s boyfriend!” she said with a cheeky wink “Fujimoto-kun is his friend.”

“Inoue-san, your hand,” Daichi saw Grace’s bandaged hand.

“Ah, I cut it really badly but Momomiya-kun wrapped it up!” she said showing them.

“Nice to meet you, my name is Momomiya Hiroki,” the boy shook hands with Daichi “Do you need a sling for that?”

“Ah, yes,” Zack grimaced as Grace covered her mouth in horror at the sight of his arm.

Zack sat as Hiroki took a sling from one of the cupboards and began supporting his arm for it.

“So you woke up here like us then?” Daichi sat with Grace who brought Hiroki’s blazer around her tighter.

“Yes, Momomiya-kun found me alone with nothing but my little white nightie,” Grace chuckled with a blush “Seriously, it’s not a good first impression to appear in front of a boy in your sleepwear…”

“Well, I suppose you saw all the bodies then…” Daichi grimaced as Zack and Hiroki joined them after putting Zack’s arm in a sling.

Grace’s bright smile faded as she bowed her head.

 

* * *

 

“So the others are around here then but not in the same…space as us?” Grace frowned uncertainly.

“Yes, that’s what I made of it,” Daichi nodded.

“It’s really happening like this,” Hiroki murmured as he fiddled with the sleeve of his shirt.

“Yeah, it sucks,” Zack sighed.

Grace looked from one boy to the other and sighed.

“Well, being all glum and moody won’t get us anywhere!” she declared “Let’s explore some more and see if we can find any clues to getting out of here!”

She stood up and pumped her good fist.  Daichi smiled weakly at her determination and stood with her.

“I think we should look for anything upstairs,” he suggested.

Grace nodded with Hiroki as Zack sighed.

“Just be careful not to get any more splinters,” he said.

Daichi grinned as Grace looked sheepish.  The four of them went down the corridor, Grace shrieking at the mauled body on the way.  Hiroki patted her back as she looked like she was going to throw up.  They ascended the stairs which was also strewn with body parts and blood.  Grace covered her nose and shuddered at the smell and sight.

“Horrible, will we die like this?” Daichi whispered as they arrived at the top of the staircase.

Suddenly, an angered scream echoed throughout the building.

“Was that Anna-chan’s scream?!” Grace paled.

“What good is it to kill people when there’s a chance of getting out?!!!” Anne’s furious sounding voice bellowed from downstairs.

“Anne!” Zack sounded relieved as he stepped down.

“Watch out!”

Zack slipped his footing but Hiroki grabbed him in time but fell through one of the stairs.

“Momomiya-kun!” Grace gasped as Daichi grabbed a hold of the taller boy and pulled him up.

“Ow, my leg,” Hiroki hissed as a massive splinter stuck out of his leg.

“Quick, we need to bandage him up!” Grace whimpered.

“Ugh, he’s heavy,” Daichi struggled as he swung one of Hiroki’s arms around his shoulder.

“Here, he can lean on my good shoulder,” Zack offered.

“I’ll see if I can get Anna-chan to help!” Grace said as she ran ahead of the boys.

She began calling for Anne as the boys slowly progressed down the stairs.

“The more time passes here, the more I’m starting to believe this isn’t a nightmare,” Hiroki muttered.

“Well who’d believe it the first time?” Daichi asked “Ghosts and all these bodies?  Anyone would think it’s a bloody nightmare.”

Grace turned to them when they arrived in the corridor.

“She’s not answering me…” she whispered “I can’t see her anywhere either or any signs that she was here.”

“But we heard her, surely that voice was hers?” Zack murmured.

“But then again, Murakami-san rarely does get angry,” Daichi said.

The friends sighed in slight dismay before Grace shook her head.

“In any case, we need to check your leg, Momomiya-kun.”

“Ow, careful,” Hiroki winced as the boys moved down the corridor.

They reached the infirmary where Daichi used his limited first aid knowledge to bind the wound and remove the splinter.

“You should rest,” Grace said with a sombre face.

“Ugh…”

“We’ll go look around some more,” Daichi offered “Zack, you stay here with Momomiya-san, Inoue-san and I will look around some more.”

Zack nodded as he sat down on the bed beside Hiroki as Grace followed Daichi out.  They were wandering around for a while until Grace let out a gasp.

“What is it?” Daichi pulled his fists up and looked around the place.

“I lost my paper scrap,” Grace pouted and Daichi sighed.

“Geez, I thought there was some actual danger,” he said.

Grace blushed and fiddled with her fingers as Daichi dug his paper scrap out from where he had pinned it at the back of his ear with his ear piercing.

“Here, take mine if you really miss it,” he said and put it in Hiroki’s blazer pocket “Hm?”

He froze and pulled the pocket out.

“Oh, isn’t this it?”

“Hm?”

Grace pulled out the paper scrap that was already in it.

“Ah no, my one was a different shape,” she said “I suppose this is Momomiya-kun’s then…”

Daichi shrugged and put his paper scrap in with Hiroki’s.

“Now make sure you don’t lose this one too,” he said sternly.

“Yes, sir!” Grace grinned with a cheeky wink and giggled “But wait, won’t that mean you won’t be able to stay true friends with the rest of us?”

“Riku should still have hers,” Daichi shrugged “And when she gets enrolled into our school, she’ll be living with me and my mom and then I’ll always be with her which means she’ll lead me to you guys.”

Grace giggled.

“I suppose,” she smiled warmly.

“Come on, let’s get back, there doesn’t seem to be much else here.”

Grace nodded as she followed Daichi back through the dim corridors to the infirmary.  Daichi hesitated as he saw Zack out on the floor, unconscious.

“Zack?” he muttered and walked over, shaking him “Oi, Zack, wake up.  Wake up!”

“Mmm?”

Zack’s eyes fluttered open and he saw Daichi and Grace hovering over him.

“Huh?  How did I get here?” he muttered and looked around.

“Weren’t you supposed to be with Momomiya-kun?”

Zack sat up and rubbed his head.

“Ow, my head,” he muttered and looked up at them “Umm…I remember watching over him, making small polite chat and all that crap.  And then I heard Anne again so went out but then I don’t remember anything else.”

Grace opened the infirmary doors and screamed.  Daichi jumped to his feet.

“What’s wrong?” he asked as he came behind her “What the-?!”

There lay Hiroki’s body on the floor, limp with his eyes wide in horror.  Grace fell to her knees, covering her mouth in terror as Daichi moved forward slowly.

“He’s no breathing,” he whispered “Oi, Momomiya-san?  Momomiya-san!”

He crouched over the bloody corpse and pressed his fingers against his neck.

“Yeah, no pulse…” he muttered and pulled away hastily “It looks like he coughed up some blood or something and choked on it.  There aren’t any outer injuries…”

Grace let out another scream and covered her ears.

“What kind of hell is this?!” she shrieked and began sobbing uncontrollably.


	4. Chapter 2

Anne sighed as stretched out her body.

“I hate swimming class,” she murmured in annoyance as Grace settled down next to her “The boys keep fooling around and interrupt my strokes.  Geez, the nerve.  Sometimes they get a bit too close and nearly drown me.  Our swimming teacher should be stricter.”

Grace giggled and shoved Anne playfully.

“They’re just showing off in front of you,” she said “Admit it, you like the attention.”

“Not one bit,” Anne grumbled as she shoved Grace back “As if they would do it for me.  It’s disruptive and I highly doubt any of the boys here like me in that way.”

Grace hummed then grabbed Anne’s boobs.

“Maybe it’s because of these!” she grinned and jiggled them around.

“Oi!” Anne blushed bright red “Stop that!”

“Look how big and soft they are!” Grace grinned wider.

“Hey!  Stop it, it’s embarrassing!  These are nothing but a backache anyway!”

“Oh don’t be so modest!” Grace winked as Anne shoved her away “Those two will feed lots and lots of healthy babies!  It’s a good thing!  You’ll have plenty of milk to go around!”

“Since when did you become such a pervert?!” Anne exclaimed as she shuffled away from her best friend.

Grace laughed again.

“That’s why all the boys are pining for your attention!” she said “You’ll make a man very lucky one day, Anna-chan!  I’m so jealous.”

“Grace-chan, I’m the one who should be jealous,” Anne sighed “You’re so flat, you don’t need to wear constricting bras.”

“Don’t remind me,” Grace sighed in dismay.

“Tch,” Anne got up, put her red leather notebook into her locker and closed it, walking out of the girl’s changing room with Grace skipping behind her.

 

* * *

 

Grace hid her face in Zack’s back as Daichi closed the infirmary door with a shaky arm.

“We should get going before any of our friends end up like this,” he said.

“Inoue, could you not hug me so tightly, please?” Zack murmured.

Grace slackened her grip slowly.

“Sorry.”

 

* * *

 

“What kind of hell is this?!”

Ruka and Seito turned their heads to the sound of the scream.

“Wasn’t that Inoue-san’s scream?” Ruka asked slowly.

“Sounded like it,” Seito nodded.

“We should go and find her, she might be in trouble,” Ruka said.

“We can’t, that way is a dead end.”

Ruka shivered and rubbed his forearms for warmth.  Seito smiled softly as he took off his short, black top and placed it over Ruka’s long, white one.

“Ah, Oshiro-senpai…”

“The cold doesn’t bother me,” Seito said as he stretched himself out “I’ll be fine.”

Ruka blushed shyly and nodded.

“Thank you, senpai…”

Seito ruffled his hair with a chuckle.

“Call me Seito, we’re not in school.”

“O-OK…Seito-san…”

“(Uwah, he’s so soft-spoken and afraid,)” Seito thought as they continued walking down the corridor “(If he keeps up looking this adorable, I might come undone.)”

He stopped as Ruka jumped at something and held onto his arm, shivering.

“(So adorable.)”

“It’s alright, Ruka,” he said as he gave Ruka a comforting hug “Everything’s going to be alright.”

“(Look at how his cute red eyes look up at me.  Look at how they hold back tears.  Look at the way he trembles.  So cute…)”

“I hope Yumi-chan is alright,” Ruka mumbled as they ascended to the third floor.

“Maki-san?”

Ruka blushed a bit more and nodded.

“I…we…” he giggled slightly “It’s embarrassing.”

“Embarrassing?” Seito chuckled “You…you haven’t been doing naughty things have you?”

“N-No!” Ruka shook his head “No, uh, well…”

He paused and looked around before swallowing.

“We didn’t want to tell anyone but because you’re…Oshiro-senpai, I feel like I should tell you.”

Seito’s smile faltered as Ruka coughed shyly.

“Yumi-chan and I started to go out a couple of weeks ago.”

Seito blinked and he chuckled.

“Wow, that’s…”

“(A nuisance.)”

“…great!  How are you two?  You need advice or anything?”

“Oh, no, I just wanted to tell you,” Ruka shifted his foot slowly “Just to get it out, you know?”

“Right,” Seito nodded.

“I’m sure you’ve had loads of girlfriends!” Ruka chuckled.

“(Never had one, disgusting things.)”

“Eh, one or two,” Seito shrugged “I guess I haven’t found the right girl yet.”

Ruka laughed again.  The silence between them as they walked around some more felt awkward to Seito.

“(Out of all the girls, it had to be that creepy little snob?)”

Seito couldn’t help but admire the view as Ruka bent over to pick up his scrap of paper that had slipped out.

“Huh, there’s a hole in pocket,” he said “I suppose I’ll just put it in my other pocket.”

As they reached the bottom floor, Ruka swallowed nervously, his teeth chattering.

“Are you OK, Ruka?” Seito asked “Are you still cold?”

“I-I’m f-fine, what about y-you?” Ruka looked up at Seito warily.

“Eh, I’m used to the cold.  It’s fine, because you’re younger you should be warm.”

Ruka nodded slowly as they went down the hall and jumped, grabbing onto Seito’s arm again.

“Seito-san!”

Seito’s eyes widened as five bodies lay out across the hall, fresh looking and covered in blood.

“Don’t look!” he said and tucked Ruka’s head into his bare chest.

Ruka hugged him tightly as Seito examined each of the bodies slowly.

“Students…they’re all in school uniform…how could this have happened?”

“A-Ah!  Seito-san, behind us!”

Seito turned his head suddenly and jumped when he saw a blue figure crouched on the floor, staring ahead blankly.

“A kid?” he muttered.

“It’s unreal!  He’s not real!” Ruka hugged Seito tighter “Seito-san, he doesn’t feel human!”

“(He’s right.  What’s with this uneasy chill?)” Seito thought as he held Ruka closer.

“Chhlme…wiff…mhee…”

Ruka went rigid as the boy looked up at him.

“Ruka?” Seito murmured.

Ruka looked terrified as the boy stood, staring at him.

“Chllme wiff me…”

“Oi, Ruka, what’s wrong?” Seito nudged Ruka.

“I can’t…look away,” Ruka whispered “His eyes…they’re paralysing!  I can hardly move!”

“Chlmme wiff me!”

“Shit!” Seito cursed as he scooped Ruka up in his arms and bolted down the hall when the boy began walking towards them.

He carried Ruka up another flight of stairs on the other side of the hallway and gasped as he fell by the hallway.  Ruka relaxed and panted, taking in deep, panicked breaths.

“Ah, that was…so…” Ruka gasped and shivered, burying his face into Seito’s chest.

“(His flushed cheeks feel so warm against me,)” Seito closed his eyes and cradled Ruka’s head close “(So sweet.  I just want to cuddle him forever.)”

“What kind of hell is this?!”

Both boys jumped at Grace’s voice echoing down the hall.

“Inoue-san?” Ruka murmured as Seito put him down and stood, looking up and down the corridor.

“Oi!  Inoue!” he called “Inoue!  Are you there?”

There was no reply and Ruka shakily got up to his feet.

“I-Inoue-san?!” he called “Inoue-san?!  Can you hear us?”

“Oshiro-kun!  Nakahura-kun!”

The boys turned to see Sakura run down towards them, gasping for breath.

“Thank God!” she gasped “I thought I was here all alone!”

“Hamasaki-san!” Ruka exclaimed.

“You’re bleeding,” Seito observed.

“Ah yes, it was like this when I woke up,” Sakura winced and held her arms.

“We shouldn’t leave it like that,” Ruka said and opened the infirmary doors next to them “We should-wah!”

He fell over with a surprised yelp.

“What’s wrong?!”

Seito poked his head in and Sakura screamed at the dead body inside.

“Ah…ah…” Ruka gasped as Seito approached it and nudged it to the side with his foot.

Seito gave a glance at Sakura and sighed.

“I’ll see if there are any bandages,” he said.

He walked towards the shelves, leaning up to one of the shelves.

“(Bandages and ointments, perfect,)” he thought as he found the items he was looking for “(Enough to bandage that stupid bitch’s cut.  I wonder if there’s anything that will help shock for little Ruka…)”

His mind began to wander.

 

* * *

 

“Ha, take that you stupid freak!”

“Ow!  Stop that!”

“Hey, hey, what does this say?  Oh wait, you can’t read!”

The boys began laughing loudly as Ruka nursed his bruises.

“You’re so stupid, how can you not read simple sentences?”

“I’m…dyslexic…” Ruka coughed.

“Eh?  Dyslexic?”

“It’s a learning disability so just leave me alone!”

“But then what about this girly white hair?”

“And those freaky red eyes?”

“Lots of people have white hair and red eyes!”

“Not together!”

Ruka coughed as he got kicked again.

“Hey, hey, check this out!”

Ruka was held down and his shirt stripped off.

“Oh, what are these weird markings?”

“Heh, you part of a cult or something?”

“Such a freak!”

“I bet it’s one of those cults that kills people and marks their children!”

“That must have been what happened!  Poor little Nakahura’s parents get killed then he gets marked!  They must have tried to rape him because of how much of a girl he looks!”

“Yeah, yeah!  And because he’s so stupid, little Nakahura can probably only get money by selling himself out!”

“Stop it!” Ruka cried out as he strained against the other boys’ strengths.

“Not that anyone would want to sleep with a creepy thing like you!”

“You’d probably be better off in the gutter!  As if anyone would care for you!”

“Shut up!  You don’t know anything so just leave me alone!”

“You’re never going to pass college, are you?  You’re weak, frail and scary looking.  Not to mention so stupid!”

“Stupid, stupid, Nakahura!”

Ruka winced as someone slammed a foot into his back.

“Stupid, weak, scary!”

“Freaky, dumb whore!”

“That’s how you got into the school, isn’t it?  You slept with the paedophilic principal!”

“Ow!” Ruka winced as they turned him on his side and kicked his chest “Shut up!  Leave me alone!  Stop it!  Please!”

“You should drop out!  There’s no point in you being here!  You worthless piece of trash!”

“Let me go!  Just leave me alone!”

“Oi!”

A resounding boom was heard as the toilet door was slammed open.  The three boys stepped away from Ruka as the taller boy came in.

“Fujiora!  Fukui!  Hashimoto!  Principal’s office, NOW!”

“O-Oshiro-senpai!” the boys stuttered.

“Out!”

They fled and Seito sneered at them.

“Tch, think they’re so clever in having two ‘bodyguards’ outside,” he muttered and crouched beside Ruka “Hey, they’re gone, let me see the damage.”

Ruka curled up into a ball and Seito’s eyes softened.  He fingered the marks on Ruka’s back.

“Did they do this?” he asked gently.

“No, those are scars from years ago…” Ruka whispered.

“Ah.  Let me see the damage.  Please, I can clean you up without having to take you the infirmary and letting anyone see you like this.”

Ruka looked up at him with his eyes brimming with tears.  Seito smiled sympathetically and brushed them away.

“I can help.”

Ruka whined and shifted to lean his head on Seito’s chest.  Seito cradled him close.

“(Such a small, shivering body…)”

 

* * *

 

“Waah!”

Seito turned his head sharply and saw Ruka standing in front of Sakura.

“Stay back, Hamasaki-san!”

Seito ran out and looked down at the headless child before them.

“What the?”

Sakura screamed again as she pointed to the girl’s hand which was dragging a rotting head.  She pointed to them and lunged forward.

“Ruka, watch out!”

Seito lunged for Ruka and they rolled away to the other end of the corridor.

“No!  Don’t!”

Seito covered Ruka’s ears and held his head to his chest as he watched in horror as the girl grabbed Sakura’s leg and began dragging her away at an inhuman speed, leaving a trail of blood behind.

“Oshiro-kun!  Nakahura-kun!”

Ruka looked up at Seito warily.

“Seito-san?” he said slowly “We…need to help her…”

“Why?” Seito suddenly snarled “She’s dead anyway if this amount of blood has already been lost.”

“Seito-san!” Ruka looked shocked.

“Ruka, what are girls good for?” he asked darkly “We don’t need them.”

Ruka’s eyes widened and he pushed away from Seito.

“Seito-san, you’re scaring me,” he whimpered.

“(Ah, his whimpering is so sweet.)”

Seito sat up and grabbed Ruka’s arm to stop him from moving away.

“Come here, Ruka.  I can show you that we don’t need girls to be happy.”

“Seito-san, let go!” Ruka whined as he tugged away helplessly.

He was dragged into Seito’s lap and froze as Seito’s hands slowly pulled his top up.  His eyes widened even more as dark wisps began encasing the elder boy’s body.

“Seito-san!”

“Ruka, my Ruka,” Seito whispered as he peppered kisses up Ruka’s spine.

“Let me go!  Seito-san!”

Seito licked his lips as he pulled the tops up further…

“Hm?”

Seito froze when he saw the burns that marred Ruka’s back.  Ruka paused as Seito’s body began trembling.

“Ruka?  What?”

“(What am I doing?!)”

Seito suddenly shoved Ruka off his lap, covering his mouth in horror.  Ruka took one glance at Seito before scrambling up to his feet and running down the bloody path.

“Oi, Ruka!” Seito called as he got up “Ruka, come back!”

He then stiffened as he was hit around the head and fell to the floor, blacking out.

 

* * *

 

Ruka fell to his knees at where the blood trail ended at, shivering and shaking his head.

“Hamasaki-san…” he whispered “Where did you go?”

He hugged himself and began trembling, his breath coming out and condensing.

“Damn it,” he whispered as he pulled his top down along with Seito’s “What’s with this place?”

“Hello.”

Ruka looked up at the girl next to him who stared down at him lifelessly.

“(Her eyes…kind of remind me of dead fish.)”

“Are you looking for someone?” she asked.

Ruka looked back down again.

“Not much of a talker, are you?”

Ruka still didn’t respond.

“Whatever, I don’t want to waste my time with you.”

She walked off as Ruka continued staring at the place where Sakura’s blood was oddly cut off.  He may have stayed there for a while or just briefly when finally a familiar voice reached his ears.

“Nakahura-kun?”

Ruka jumped to his feet as a young girl came around the corner.

“Fujimoto-san!”

Riku sighed as she ran up to him.

“Nakahura-kun, have you seen Sakura-chan?  She just ran off and I can’t find her anywhere…”

Ruka glanced down at the blood on the floor.

“She just got dragged off but I can’t find her,” he said “Damn it, this is just like a nightmare.”

Riku looked up at him sadly and sighed, looking down.

“Hey, I have heard that this school is held together by vengeful spirits,” she said and shifted “Do you think we might be able to get out of here by appeasing them?”

“Appeasing them?” Ruka repeated slowly.

“Yeah, I read a couple of old newspapers around here and because you’re dyslexic, I assume you probably haven’t read them.”

Riku winced expectantly but Ruka shrugged.

“Tell me.”

“Apparently at Heavenly Host Elementary School, four children got kidnapped.  Three of them were killed and they all had their tongues taken out.  One of them even had her head slowly removed.”

“Ah, just now…” Ruka said as he shifted warily “A spirit with no head just dragged Hamasaki-san away.”

Riku balked and Ruka sighed.

“Damn it…”

“I heard that the killer may be in this school somewhere,” Riku piped up “Maybe if we get him to regret his murders then we could get out of here!”

Ruka looked hesitant.

“I suppose…it’s a lead…” he murmured “Let’s go then.”

Riku smiled brightly and nodded as they walked off through the dark school.


	5. Chapter 3

A boy and a girl in high school uniform ran down the corridors of Heavenly Host Elementary in terror, the girl coughing hysterically out of fear and exhaustion.

“Enough!” she whined as she collapsed onto her knees and the boy stopped to look down at her “What’s up with this place?!  Bodies everywhere and that man!  Did you see that hammer he was dragging behind him?!”

She broke down into a fit of pitiful sobs as the boy crouched before her.

“Where’s Momomiya-kun?” she cried

“There’s no need to be afraid,” the boy comforted her “I’m sure he’s somewhere.  We’ll run into him soon enough, I’m sure of it.”

The girl whined more and threw her fists down on the floor in a fit of rage.

“I can’t take this anymore!” she screamed “I don’t want to die!  I…I…”

She began hiccupping violently and looked around.

“Aya-chan…” she whimpered “He got Aya-chan!  How can you be so calm?!  He completely broke her body and we just ran away!  We should have done something!

“We couldn’t do anything,” the boy hissed “We have no weapons, we would have ended up just like her!”

The girl just wept more, hiccupping violently with her sobs.  The boy sighed through his nose as he helped her up to her feet.

“God damn it, where is everyone?” he muttered as the girl turned around to brush some dust off the back of her skirt.

“Ah!” she froze and stared back down the corridor at the sound of a large heavy stone weight being slowly dragged across the wooden floorboards “Aizawa!  He’s coming, he’s coming!”

The boy looked up and cursed, grabbing the girl’s hand and dragging her down the corridor.

“We’re going to die, we’re going to die,” the girl whimpered “I’m scared, Aizawa!  I don’t want to get killed like Aya-chan!  I don’t want to!  I’m scared!”

“Keep it together!” the boy snapped as they turned the corner.

“No, not that way!” the girl shrieked “We’ll get lost!”

“Rather get lost than be on the other end of that fucking hammer!  Keep up!”

They stumbled to a halt as a little girl in a red dress appeared in front of them and held up a pair of rusted and bloody scissors.  She let out a spine-chilling cackle as she plunged them straight into the boy’s stomach.  The girl shrieked as she ran the other way blindly.  A massive stone block swung into her head, cracking her skull and she knew no more.

 

* * *

 

Grace rocked back and forth as she pressed her phone to her ear after trying to call her uncle for what seemed like the millionth time.  Daichi and Zack didn’t bother telling her it was useless as they themselves were tasked with the futile job of finding a way out.

“Hello?” Grace murmured uncertainly “Uncle?  Are you there?”

Zack winced as he hurt his arm more and Daichi shoved him onto a desk chair, sternly telling him to rest for a bit.

“Uncle, please pick up, I know the signal here is awry but I know you’ll be able to hear me.”

Daichi slammed his fists into the cool glass windows in frustration.

“Please, Uncle!  I wanna hear your voice!  Please, just pick up the phone!”

“Inoue-san,” Daichi interrupted her “It’s no use, it’s like we’re purposely trapped here.”

Grace lowered her phone after giving up the call and heaved a heavy sigh.

“Can I at least try calling Anna-chan?” she asked.

“No, Anne left her phone in her bag with mine,” Zack shook his head “She isn’t as enthusiastic with them as you.”

Grace whimpered as she pushed her mobile, which she kept on her at all times, into Hiroki’s blazer pocket and sniffled.

“I wonder if she’s OK…” she sniffed and rubbed her tears away “Anna-chan…”

“She’ll be alright,” Zack grinned “My Anne is always sound of mind!”

“Heh, your Anna-chan?” Grace sneered and sniffed snootily “Don’t be so selfish!”

“Hmph, I’ll say it out loud, I’ll shout it with all my lungs and to my heart’s content!” Zack grinned wider.

“Please don’t,” Daichi sighed as Zack jumped onto one of the desks.

“Anne Murakami is mine and I will save her from this place so we can be together forever!”

 

* * *

 

Vincent darkly glared at the spot where Zack’s voice was coming from, Anne’s head resting in his lap with the blanket over her as a blue spirit hovered behind him.

“Now!  Onward!  She’ll probably be crying and begging for me to come and save her right now!”

“You said that she is always sound of mind earlier,” Vincent sneered as he combed Anne’s hair back out of her face.

“Be careful.”

Vincent glanced at the spirit beside him.

“Such thoughts will bring you down,” the spirit warned him “In order to survive this curse, you must avoid those dark thoughts that currently shroud your mind.”

Vincent’s eyes narrowed.

“Who are you to say that?” he asked “I am satisfied enough that he will merely wander around blindly, looking for Anne but will never succeed.”

He glanced down at the young girl sleeping and smiled softly at her serene features.

“But will that alone give you satisfaction?”

Vincent threw an unsavoury glare at the spirit, making it vanish.  As soon as it faded away completely, Vincent felt Anne stir in his lap, her eyes slowly opening.

“What in the world…?” she murmured and looked up at him “Akiyama-senpai?  Where are we?”

“Take it easy,” Vincent said soothingly as he supported her back as she sat up “Are you hurt anywhere?”

Anne rubbed her eyes tiredly as she looked around before glancing at the blanket that covered her.

“Um…ah!” she gasped and threw the blanket off “My journal!”

“It’s here, it’s safe,” Vincent said as he picked the red leather journal next to him and handed it to her.

Anne sighed in relief as she took it and hugged it to her chest.  She relaxed with a smile as she glanced at the cover then opened it to look through the pages, nodding when she saw everything was in order.  She closed it and looked around with a concerned frown.

“What is this place?” she asked “Why are we in a school?  And in our pyjamas no less!”

Vincent chuckled as he ruffled her hair.

“I don’t quite know but it seems like we’ve been cursed,” he said as she pouted briefly before straightening up “We should get moving, see if there are any others around.”

“Oh, um, sure,” Anne nodded uncertainly as she got up and yelped, jumping up and down “The floor is cold!”

Vincent chuckled again as he got up, wrapping the blanket around her.

“You’ll get used to it,” he said “Come.  The others can’t be too far.”

“Others?  Oh!”

Anne gasped as she covered her mouth.

“Grace-chan!  And Zack!”

Vincent took her hand and led her out of the classroom.  They wandered through the maze of school corridors until stumbling across a classroom that had a strong scent of rotting flesh and blood.

“Urck, smells awful,” Anne covered her nose “What the-?!”

Vincent stared at the dead corpse in alarm then covered Anne’s eyes.

“Don’t look, don’t look,” he whispered.

“Is that what’s giving off this awful stench?” Anne exclaimed as she pushed Vincent’s hand away to take another look “Is it really…a real body?!”

“Don’t look, come on, let’s go,” Vincent soothed as he pulled her away.

“Just a second,” Anne swallowed as she approached the body carefully and poked it.

“Anna-san!” Vincent hissed.

“Huh, I always wanted to know what they felt like.”

Anne stood up, opened her book, took her pen out from her breast pocket and began scribbling notes down.  Vincent stared at her incredulously.

“Anna-san, this isn’t the time or place…” he said slowly as Anne closed her book.

“I know, I know,” Anne said as she scurried over to Vincent with her blanket still around her shoulders “Come on, let’s leave before I get sick.”

“Let me out of here!” an eerie voice echoed through the classroom.

Anne gasped as she grabbed Vincent’s arm in fright as Vincent braced himself for any kind of assault.  There was none and Vincent closed the classroom door once they were out in the hallway.

“What is this place?” Anne murmured and looked up at Vincent “Akiyama-senpai, where are we exactly?”

“Heavenly Host Elementary,” Vincent replied “One of the spirits of the deceased told me about this place.”

“Ah!  Spirits?!  Deceased?!” Anne exclaimed “And you’re only telling me this now?!”

“Slipped my mind, now come on, let’s go.”

Anne jumped as Vincent brought an arm around her and moved her forward in the school.  She nervously fiddled with her thumbs, used to the assertive behaviour.  Vincent was always like that but it never bothered her because it meant he knew what he was doing.  And if he knew what he was doing, she could relax.  They’ll be able to get out of this place and find all their friends.  Anne smiled happily at the thought.

“(She’s tame now, good,)” Vincent thought as he watched her smile softly “(I can’t lose control over her, otherwise who knows what would happen?  Right now, we need to get the bearings of this school, look for ways out and see if any of the others are in this space.)”

Anne let out a startled scream and Vincent grabbed her by the shoulders and hugged her tightly as the place began to shake.

“St-stupid earthquakes!” Anne whimpered as she hugged Vincent just as tightly as he was.

Once the earthquake calmed, Anne sighed as Vincent smiled down at her.  He took her hand again and continued leading her through the corridors.  Anne gasped and froze on the spot after a few steps and Vincent saw a little boy huddled in the corner.

“Why ihh you kihh me?”

The muffled tone of the boy’s voice had Anne tearing up as Vincent held her close and they trekked past him.

“Youhh pay…”

“Akiyama-senpai…” Anne whimpered.

“We can’t do anything, he’s dead, leave him be,” Vincent murmured to her.

But as he glanced over to the little boy, their eyes met. 

“(What the fuck?!)” Vincent thought “(My body’s paralysed, I can’t move!)”

“Akiyama-senpai, what’s wrong?” Anne asked as she looked up at him.

“(I can’t speak!)” Vincent felt frustrated as the boy began hissing “(Anna-san!  Run!)”

“Come…wihh…me…”

“Akiyama-senpai, why are you just standing here like this?!” Anne shrieked as she shook him “He seems angry, what do we do?!”

“(Run, Anna-san!)”

Anne just stared at the approaching boy in horror before gasping and grabbing her hair and smelling it.  She nodded then hissed as she began plucking several strands out then dropping them in front of the little boy.

“(What?!)” Vincent thought in confusion.

“…?”

The boy stopped and stooped down, picking up the hair as Anne massaged her scalp.  He began to sniff it curiously.

“Mmn…”

Vincent felt his body loosen somewhat and Anne grabbed him by the arm, dragging him down the hallway.

“Anna-san, what?”

“I ran out of conditioner so Yumi-chan lent me some of hers,” Anne explained as they ran upstairs “It was caramel scented and she told me it would help ward off evil spirits.”

They reached the top of the stairs and Anne sighed, sliding down to a sitting position against the wall.

“That really scared me,” she whispered as her arms trembled lightly.

“(Anna-san saved me?)” Vincent thought as he watched her curl her knees up to her chest and shake uncertainly “(Anna-san…sacrificed her hair for me…)”

“Akiyama-senpai?”

“Ah, yes?”

Anne glared at him.

“Don’t you dare get into any more trouble, I’ll be damned if I have to go bald for you!”

Vincent stepped back in surprise then smiled.

“I promise,” he said as she pulled the blanket around her more.

“Ah!  Akiyama-senpai!  Anna-chan!”

Anne turned to the source of the voice and gasped.

“Yumi-chan!”

Vincent stepped back as the girls ran towards each other, hugging one another tightly.

“Am I glad to see you two!” Yumi sighed as Anne wrapped her blanket around her shoulders.

“Glad to see you unharmed,” Vincent nodded.

“Oh, Yumi-chan, the conditioner worked actually!” Anne laughed as she rubbed her scalp “We had a run in with this boy and I managed to use my hair to distract him.”

“So it’s true,” Yumi murmured “There are ghosts and spirits here, I knew I could feel them!”

“Is there anything down there?” Vincent asked as he walked up to the girls.

“Just the toilets and locked rooms,” Yumi shook her head with a shrug.

“Shall we chance going back down, Akiyama-senpai?” Anne asked.

“I don’t know…” Vincent frowned.

“Let me go!  Seito-san!”

Anne and Yumi jumped as they heard Ruka’s voice by the infirmary doors.

“Oi, Ruka!” came Seito’s voice next “Ruka, come back!”

“What is this?” Anne asked softly “Does this mean they’re dead?”

“Not necessarily.”

Anne and Yumi looked up at Vincent who grimaced.

“They’re probably in another version of this school as it has different spaces so to say.”

“So unless we can cross over, we probably can’t find the others,” Yumi concluded as Anne glared at Vincent.

“Is there anything else I need to know, Akiyama-senpai?” she asked warily.

“No,” Vincent said dismissively “(Not yet anyway.)  Let’s check downstairs, we can always use your hair to distract that boy if he’s still there.”

“Oh enough with that!” Anne hissed as she tossed her hair and strode past him.

Yumi smiled as she followed after her, Vincent keeping an eye on them both as they went downstairs.

“(As long as she’s kept in the dark, it’ll be alright.)”

 

* * *

 

Seito’s eyes slowly cracked open as he saw the ceiling above him.  His head throbbed with pain and he winced as he tried to sit up.

“What…happened?”

He winced again as he tried to move his legs.

“Feels kind of cold here…”

He froze up as three children surrounded him, laughing and pointing at him.

“You!  You brought me here!  Where is this?”

The children continued laughing and pointing, as if he were a child who had just tripped over and landed in the mud.

“Ruka!” Seito gasped “Where’s Ruka?!”

The giggling slowed down as footsteps were heard and the children disappeared.  Seito’s blood ran cold at the sound of a heavy stone object being dragged across the floor.

“Damn it, I can’t move much!” Seito hissed as he saw a hulking figure approach him “Come on!”

The figure raised his hammer and Seito’s eyes widened in terror.

 

* * *

 

Vincent sighed softly as Yumi and Anne sat next to each other, reading the newspaper article they found.

“Can we go now, we can take that with us,” Vincent said.

“Akiyama-senpai, look!”

Vincent glanced at the picture lazily at the four children.

“So?”

“The boy, he was the one we saw!”

Vincent took the article and studied it closer.

“So he’s a victim here, doesn’t give much of an excuse to torment us.”

“It’s sad,” Anne’s eyes watered as she bowed her head.

“Very sad,” Yumi bowed her head too.

Vincent looked down at the girls and helped Anne up to her feet.

“Come on, let’s keep moving,” he said.

“Ah, right!” Anne nodded as Yumi stood.

A scream cut through the hallway.

“Big brother!” Riku’s voice wailed “Where are you?!”

“Riku-chan!” Anne whispered as she ran towards the scream.

“Anna-san, wait!” Vincent said as he and Yumi chased after her.

Anne gasped as she fell over when another earthquake shook.  Vincent grabbed Yumi to keep her balance until it passed and Anne sat up with wide eyes.

“This hallway…” she murmured as a set of doors appeared in the wall opposite her “It got bigger!”

“What kind of place is this?” Yumi murmured “It’s like Harry Potter, everything’s moving and changing.”

“Anna-san, careful!” Vincent barked as Anne got up and ran over to open the doors.

“Ah, this leads outside!”

“Outside?” Yumi gasped as she ran over to the doors.

“(I need leashes for these girls,)” Vincent grumbled in his mind as he ran after them.

The sound of rain was soothing as Anne leaned over the rail of the sheltered pathway, eyes wide as she stared out at the dark forest.

“No…” she murmured as several bodies lay out before her, mutilated and killed after trying to escape into the forest.

“So that way isn’t available either,” Vincent grumbled as he ran a hand through his hair.

“That’s…not fair…” Anne fell to her knees and sighed “No…”

“There has to be another way,” Yumi said determinedly “Come on, let’s explore this other part of the school!”

“Right!” Vincent nodded “Come on.”

Anne looked up at them before nodding uncertainly and taking Vincent’s hand to get up to her feet.  Yumi opened the doors to the other wing then stumbled back in terror.

“What’s the matter, Maki-san?” Vincent asked as he came up behind her.

“This air is so thick with evil intent and spirits,” Yumi breathed as Anne stumbled slightly when she felt it too.

“I don’t like this one bit,” she whispered as she shivered from the cold “My head feels like it’ll split open…”

“My ears are ringing too,” Vincent muttered.

“Still, we must press on,” Yumi nodded as she entered the building, cuddling the blanket around her.

Vincent took hold of Anne’s hand and nodded to her before leading her inside.  It wasn’t long until another earthquake struck and the floorboards beneath Yumi creaked.

“Wha-?” Yumi looked down in shock before falling through.

“Yumi-chan!” Anne shrieked as Vincent held her close until the earthquake stopped and the hole sealed up “No!”

“Anna-san, calm down, it’s alright,” Vincent soothed.

“Oh.”

The two looked up as a taller boy in school uniform, staring down at them curiously.

“I didn’t realise there were other people here,” he smiled as he walked up to them “Nice to meet you, my name is Kizami Yuuya.”

“M-Murakami A-Anne…” Anne stuttered, clutching the book to her chest.

“Akiyama Vincent,” Vincent narrowed his eyes at Yuuya.

“Oh?  You’re not brother and sister?”

They shook their heads, Vincent gritting his teeth softly.  Yuuya crouched down and chuckled.

“Funny, you look like brother and sister,” he observed.

“Looks aren’t everything,” Vincent said slowly as he helped Anne up.

“Akiyama-senpai,” Anne tugged on Vincent’s sleeve “There has to be a way down to where Yumi-chan fell…”

“Ah, yes, of course, let’s go.”

“You won’t find anything,” Yuuya smirked ominously at Vincent.

“You never know unless you try,” Vincent said sternly as Anne completely missed the spooky aura.

Anne stumbled as Vincent dragged her up the stairs and blinked with an innocent look.  Vincent continued to lead the way through the corridors.  She stopped and anchored him to the spot after crossing one hallway.  Vincent stopped and looked at her.

“What is it?” he asked.

“I got blood on my book from being close to that body from earlier,” Anne said shyly as she pointed to the drying blood stain “Can I wash it in those bathrooms?”

“What?  Anna-san, this isn’t the time!”

“It just makes me annoyed to see it like this!” Anne snapped “Please, I want to just get it cleaned!”

“Fine, fine,” Vincent sighed resignedly as he let her go and nodded to the bathroom “I’ll wait here.”

Anne nodded as she ran into the toilets and to the sink.

“(Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?)” she thought as she turned the taps “(It’s starting to unnerve me.)  Hm?  Wah!”

Anne jumped back as blood splashed out from the taps and onto the porcelain sinks.  She stepped back with wide eyes before dashing out in fright.  She froze as she saw Vincent wasn’t there anymore.

“A-Akiyama-senpai?” she whimpered “Akiyama-senpai?!”

She looked around before feeling a surge of pain through her head.  She winced and shook her head, tears brimming her eyes.

“(Need to get out of here,)” she thought “(I can’t take this anymore!)”

She ran down the stairs and crashed into the boy from earlier.

“Ah, sorry!” she gasped as she looked up at Yuuya.

“Hm?  Back already?” Yuuya blinked “Where’s your friend?”

“I don’t know!” Anne exclaimed “I wasn’t even gone for that long and he wasn’t there even though he said he’d wait!”

She winced and held her head, whining and sobbing.

“Ow…” she whimpered.

“Are you OK?” Yuuya asked as he knelt to her level.

“My head hurts,” Anne sobbed “This whole thing is a headache!  It’s cold, Akiyama-senpai and Yumi-chan just disappeared and…and…I want my mom…I want to see Zack, my boyfriend!  It’s all too much.”

Yuuya looked down at Anne before hugging her gently.

“Ssh, it’s alright,” he whispered as Anne hiccupped and sobbed “I’m here, it’s all going to be just fine.”

Anne just stood there being comforted as Yuuya smirked darkly whilst he brandished his knife.


End file.
